President Donald Trump claimed that “African-American ladies, beautiful ladies” have been pleading with him to send federal troops to Chicago, just weeks after the heavy militarized presence in Washington D.C.
“They are wearing red hats, just like this one. But they are wearing red hats. African American ladies, beautiful ladies are saying, Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please,” Trump said Friday in the Oval Office.
He also added, “I did great with the Black vote, as you know. And they want something to happen. So I think Chicago will be our next, and then we will help with New York.”
Not long after, Danielle Carter-Walters, a Black personal trainer and conservative influencer in Chicago, told the Chicago Sun-Times she believed Trump was talking about her and her group, Chicago Flips Red. “We knew he had been listening to us,” she said. “When I saw it, I said, ‘Oh wow.’ We’ve been asking for it in our videos. Now he’s doing it.”
Carter-Walters has defended Trump’s actions in Washington. “I mean, if you’ve got the National Guard right there, are you going to rob somebody right there in front of the National Guard? No, you’re not,” she told CBS Chicago. Her grassroots organization is small, with only a handful of core members, but she has had national exposure, even testifying before Congress during a hearing on sanctuary cities.
She thanked Trump directly on X after his comments, writing, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for listening to @FlipChicagoRed. We truly appreciate everything you’re doing to Make America Great Again. P.S. Please send in the Feds too!”
Trump’s suggestion that Chicago could be “next” came as he defended the troop deployment in Washington, which he has called a success despite reports that most of the arrests have been immigration-related. According to the Washington Post, Pentagon officials are already planning to send personnel to Chicago as early as September.
But Illinois leaders are pushing back hard. Governor JB Pritzker said on X, “Illinois has long worked with federal law enforcement to tackle crime, but we won’t let a dictator impose his will.”
Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, who grew up on the South Side, also fired back. “If Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city. Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators. As a Black woman from the South Side, I can assure you @realdonaldtrump, your political circus isn’t welcome here.”
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for listening to @FlipChicagoRed. We truly appreciate everything you’re doing to Make America Great Again. P.S.-Please send in the Feds too!@FoxNews@PressSec pic.twitter.com/rVGmFY0aRC
— Danielle Carter (@Dannic44) August 22, 2025